{"id":24511,"date":"2026-08-14T17:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ices.on.ca\/?post_type=journal_article&#038;p=24511"},"modified":"2026-09-16T17:16:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T21:16:44","slug":"resident-perspectives-of-age-friendly-built-environments-in-naturally-occurring-retirement-communities-norcs","status":"publish","type":"journal_article","link":"https:\/\/www.ices.on.ca\/fr\/publications\/journal-articles\/resident-perspectives-of-age-friendly-built-environments-in-naturally-occurring-retirement-communities-norcs\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident perspectives of age-friendly built environments in naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Background and objectives<\/strong> \u2014 Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) are buildings and neighborhoods that house a large proportion (\u226530%) of older adult residents. This study explored how residents experience aging in place within the built environments of NORCs, to inform age-friendly design, and aging in place interventions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Research design and methods<\/strong> \u2014 A qualitative case study was conducted across four NORC sites in Toronto, Canada. Data sources included resident focus groups, open-ended survey responses, and observational field notes (i.e. windshield surveys). This secondary analysis followed a case-based, deductive approach guided by the built environment domains of the World Health Organization\u2019s Age-Friendly Cities Framework: outdoor spaces and buildings, housing, and transportation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results<\/strong> \u2014 Two condominiums, one housing co-operative, and one social housing residence were examined. Residents\u2019 experiences were coded into eight interrelated sub-themes spanning the three domains: access to greenspace and public amenities, accessible outdoor infrastructure, safety and belonging, affordability and maintenance, building design, building governance, driving cessation, and transit costs. Findings demonstrated that aging in place was shaped not only by physical accessibility, but also by how the built environment fostered opportunities for social connection, agency, participation, and everyday interaction within shared spaces.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion and implications<\/strong> \u2014 The built environment affects older adults\u2019 ability to age in place. NORC-based programs can be a catalyst for changes and optimizations to the built environment, creating spaces and places that are designed with the community and its residents in mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Background and objectives \u2014 Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) are buildings and neighborhoods that house a large proportion (\u226530%) of older adult residents. This study explored how residents experience aging in place within the built environments of NORCs, to inform age-friendly design, and aging in place interventions. Research design and methods \u2014 A qualitative case [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","migration-helper-automated":[],"migration-manual":[],"topic":[30,17],"migration-helper-qa-sample-set":[],"class_list":["post-24511","journal_article","type-journal_article","status-publish","hentry","topic-home-and-community-care","topic-older-people"],"acf":{"citation":"McWatt K, Savage RD, Recknagel J, Clayton Jones E, Hahn-Goldberg S, Bruner K, Rochon PA, Hatzifilalithis S. <em>Gerontologist<\/em>. 2026; Aug 14 [Epub ahead of print].","source_url":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/geront\/gnag199","ices_scientist":[1355,1340],"site":[6733],"research_program":[6740],"news_release":"","journal_article":"","atlas":"","research_report":"","infographic":"","video":"","downloads":null,"links":null,"sitecore_item_id":"","sitecore_item_name":"","sitecore_field_values":"","previous_url":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - 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